Fuel burner



sus

Patented Jan. 23, lg3d 'r r orsi FUEL BURNER John De Vilbiss, St. Louis, Mo., assignor to G. Ralph Ernst, St. Louis, Mo.

Application llecember 7, 1932.. Serial Nc. 646,099 8 Claims. (Cl. 15S-69) This invention relates to fuel burners of the type in which the fuel is admitted to a substantially annular heated space that surrounds a passageway through which the air is drawn by the natural draft'o'f the stack or chimney 0f the furnace, boiler or other apparatus with which the burner is used.

. The main object of my invention is to provide afuel burner of the general type mentioned, that is efficient and economical in the consumption of fuel, inexpensive to construct, easy to install and clean, and of sufficiently sim ple design and rugged construction to stand up successfully under long or continuous usage. i'

To this end I have devised a fuel burner which differs from prior fuel burners of the general type mentioned, in that the heated space to which the fuel is'supplied consists -of a closed annular chamber provided kwith gas ports or other restricted outlet disposed in such relationF Ship with an air passageway which said chamber Surrounds, that the air flowing through said passageway creates or exerts a suction on said outlet that causes gases or `vaporized fuel to be drawn through the same and thoroughly mixed with air to produce substantially a clean flame. The burner preferably comprises a combustion chamber, referred to for convenience as a name Chamber, that is separate and distinct from the combustion chamber of the apparatus with which the burner is used, and arranged so that the combustible mixture or fuel and air Vwill be ignited in said flame chamber, and the resulting llame thereafter admitted to the combustion chamber of the apparatus with which the burner 'isV used. At or adjacent the restrict ed outlet leading from the vfuel chamber is a lbattling means that impedestheow of the air and causes the air to exert'a strong suction on the gas ports or restricted outlet leading from the fuel chamber.

The fuel chamber can be constructed in variu ous ways without departing from the spirit of my invention, but it preferably consists of a substantially closed annular space formed in a structure that is heated'by the heat of the burner and .provided with two annular rows of spaced bailling devices arranged at opposite sides of a circular row of gas or fuel ports formed in the top Wall of said gas chamber, said heated structure having a center air inlet surrounded by the gas chamber and constructed so that the air will flow upwardly through said inlet, and thence laterally across the restricted fuel outlet in the top wall of the fuel chamber. In order to reduce the cost of the burner and facilitate the cleaning and installation of same, a tubular 'memben preferably lined with a refractory material, is used to form the flame chamber, and the heated structure that contains the fuel chamber and the baling means, is removably mounted in the lower end portion of said tubular member and is made up of three parts, to wit, a comparatively heavy or thick, ring-shaped casting provided with an annular space, a removable cover plate for said annular space forming a restricted outlet for same and provided with a circular row of upwardly-projecting, spaced bafliing devices, and a baille plate supported by said baffling devices and disposed so as to impede the air flowing upwardly through said ringshapcd casting and deflect said air laterally across said restricted outlet into the flame chamber of the burner. l

I have herein illustrated my invention einbodied in an oil burner, but I wish it to be understood that the invention is applicable to any burner that can be operated with fuel, which is of such a character or nature that the fuel can be admitted to and heated in an annular chamber, and the resulting gases or VaporzedV fuel thereafter drawn by suction through ports or a slotleading from the fuel chamber and mixed with air to produce a combustible mixture.

Figure l of the drawing is a side elevational view, illustrating my improved burner installed in operative position in a lheating apparatus.

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the burner; and

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional viewptaken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

l'n the drawing, A designates the flame chamber of the burner which is preferably formed by Ya substantially tubular-shaped member l having a refractory lining 2 and provided at its upper end with a laterally-projecting flange 3 that rests upon a supporting ange 3a (See Figure 1)y at the lower end of the combustion chamber B of the apparatus with which the burner is used. Mounted in the lower end portion of the tubular member 1 a structure that comprises or oontains a substantially closed annular fuel chamber C, a main air passageway D surrounded by said fuel chamber, a restricted fuel outlet E that leads upwardly from the fuel chamber C, and a bailiing means at the upper end of the main air passageway D constructed so that the air flowing upwardly through the center passageway D, as Y outlet E that cause gases or vaporized fuel to be drawn from the fuel chamber C and thoroughly mixed with air to produce a combustible mixture which ignites and burns in the form of a substantially clean iiame in the flame chamber A. Auxiliary air is preferably admitted to or supplied to the naine chamber A by auxiliary air ports 4 produced by forming slits in the tubular member 1 and bending the slitted portions of said member inwardly so as to form angularlydisposed vanes 5 that impart a substantially swirling action to the inflowing auxiliary Lair represented by the reference character in Figure 2.

The structure that contains the fuel chamber C and the baffling means previously referred .to, is heated by the heat of the burner, and it is herein illustrated as being composed-of a comparatively thick or heavy ring-shaped `,casting 6 whose lower end portion is of reduced diam- --Leterfso as ltowforin a `shoulderor ledge on said casting that .rests upon an .annular flange 7 at the glowerend of the tubular-shaped memberV 1. The fuel-,chamber C, previously zmentioned, is

formed bya cored space 1in thexcasting, and at 'thetupper end,of.said casting is an annular fuel '-.Gllp 8 that is adapted to receive liquid fuelwhich i is ignited when the burner isxfirst -set in lopera- ;tionso. as ftofimpart heat to the casting 6. `The @cover plate,previ ously mentioned, `that constiv@tutes the top wall of the fuel chamber C, is Aformed :by `a part 9 Athat-lits Vloosely in a ,circular ,depression in the -top vside of :the casting 6, and

A horizontallydisposed baffle plate 12, prefelably formed yof yrefractory material, is mounted upon thespaced tbaffling -devices l0. `As shown-in Figure 2, the

.upwardly-projecting flange or rim on ythe cover plate 9, -.which vis slotted to form the spaced -fbailing ,devices 10, is `so proportioned -with relation .tothe ,tubular center part 13 of the cast-ing `A6 vthat constitutes the side wall -of the main air 7.,passageway, vthat a lrelatively narrow, annular :slot Lis vformed between said parts, which narrow slot vconstitutes .the restricted. gas -or fuel outlet leading from the fuel chamber C. Preferably,

as herein illustrated, an annular 4row of auxiliary bafliing devices 14 is vvarranged at the .upper .end-,of themain air passageway D, directly opposite the slots 1l between the Abaffling devices 1,0,.so as to impede the flow of the air traveling Vinto the flame chamber A. The auxiliary baffling Adevices 14, just described, can be formed easily and at a low cost by mounting `a sleeve-like memr.ber ,on the upper end of the tubular center mem- Aber 13 ofthe casting 6, and slitting the upper edge `portion of said sleeveelike member and then bending alternate slitted portions of said memfber 4outwardly and downwardly to form ears or varies 14a (see Figure 3) that overhang the Vrestricted gas or fuel outlet E leading from the fuel chamber C, the portions 14of said sleevelike member that remain in a vertical position constituting the auxiliary bafing devices 14, previously described. 'Obviously the auxiliary baiing devices 14 may be formed in various other ways, and while it is not necessary that the .burner be equipped with a series of spaced vanes r14,L lthat overhang the restricted fuel outlet E leading from the fuel chamber, I prefer to con- `structthe burner in this way, as the gaps or vabove the bottom of said chamber.

spaces between the vanes 1421 form, in effect, a series of ports that lead from the fuel chamber C,

Any suitable means may be used for supplying or admitting fuel to the fuel chamber C, and when my invention is embodied in an oil burner, as herein illustrated, oil is supplied to the fuel chamber C by a fuel admission pipe 15 that is arranged vertically in the fuel chamber C with its upper end 'terminating at a point considerably An overflow pipe 16 that is carried by the cover plate 9 projects downwardly from said plate into the fuel chamber C, so as to cause liquid fuel to be supplied to the fuel cup 8 when the burner is first set in operation. 'The overflow pipe 16 also causes liquid .fuel `to escape from the fuel chamber C into an -of the cover plate 9, and consequently, oil'which escapes from the -upper end 'ofv said/overflow -pipe 16 will find itsway into the fuel cup 8, and -thus form a puddle of fuel that can be Vignited simply by dropping a match into the fuel cup 8, vvhen'ity is vdesired'to setthe burner in operation. "Similarly, if the supply of liquid vfuel to 4the `burner is continued after the flame in the flame chamber A has become extinguished, -the fuell supplied to the cup 8 bythe overflow pipe `16 will fill said cup, drain over the top edge of Ysame and'then collect in an oil trough 17 at the lower end of the tubular member 1, which is provided withan .outlet pipe 18 that leads to a `bucket or other trip-.off device 19, associated with the control valve 20 in the oil' supply pipe 15, with the result that the supply of liquid Ifuel to the burner will be automaticallycut off when the valve 20 closes, due to the'bucket 19 moving downwardly after it has become i'lled with fuel from the oil trough 17..

To set the burner in ,operation it is only necessary to open the Valve 20 in the oil supply. pipe 15, whereupon oil will ow into the fuel .chamber C, and .thence escape from said chamber through the `overflow pipe 16 into the fuel cup' v8. rIhe fuel in the cup 8 is then ignited so- .as to heat up the casting 6 and cover plate 9, and .after the temperatureof .saidparts has been raised, the vvair that is drawn into the flame chamber A through, the main air inlet D by the natural draft of the combustion chamber B of the apparatus, will create a suicient suction on the restricted outlet E leading from the fuel chamber C to causegases or vaporized fuel to be drawn from sa'id fueh chamber and mixed with air to producea combustible mixture which burns inthe flame chamber A in the form of substantially a clean flame. When the burner is in operation the two annular rows of baffling devices 10Yand 14,-that are ar-1 ranged at opposite sides of the restricted koutlet E leading from the fuel chamber C willinterrupt or impede the flow of the air through the main air inlet D, so effectively that the gases or vaporized fuel evolved from the fuel in the heated chamber C and drawn out of the restricted outlet E leading from said chambenwill be mixed with the air in the proper proportion to produce substantially perfect combustionA in the flame chamber A, it, of course, beingunderstood that install and it is of sufficiently simplevdesign and j;

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rugged construction to insure its standing up successfully under long and continuous usage.

Having thus described my invention, what I` claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A fuel burner, comprising a flame chamberl which is in direct communication with the com bustion chamber of the apparatus with which the burner is used, a relatively heavy or thick metal member arranged so as to be heated by the heat'of' the burner and provided with a substantially annular-shaped fuel chamber that surrounds a main air inlet, a cover plate that forms a restricted outlet for said fuel chamber, and a. baiiling means arranged at the upper end of said main inlet and constructed so as to cause the main air supply to fiow transversely across said restricted outlet and thence into the ame chamber.

2. A fuel burner of the kind described in claim v1, provided with a fuel cup arranged adjacent the point where the air from said main air inlet enters the flame chamber.

3. A fuel burner of the kind described in claim 1, comprising means for supplying auxiliary air to the flame chamber, and a holder at the lower end of the iiame chamber for fuel that is used to set the burner in operation.

4. A fuel burner, comprising a substantially tubular member adapted to be mounted at the lower end of a combustion chamber so as to form a flame chamber, a casting positioned in the lower end of said tubular member soV as to serve as a closure for same, a substantially annular-shaped fuel chamber formed in said casting, a main air inlet in said casting surrounded by said fuel chamber, a cover plate for the fuel chamber that forms a restricted outlet for same, spaced baffling devices projecting upwardly from said cover plate, a substantially horizontallydisposed bale plate at the upper end of said main air inlet sustained by said baffling devices, and a substantially annular fuel cup on said casting.

5. A fuel burner of the kind described in claim ll, provided with auxiliary baffling devices arranged in staggered relation with the baffling devices on the cover plate, and means for permitting liquid fuel to escape from said fuel chamber and pass into said fuel cup under certain conditions.

6. A fuel burner of the kind described in claim 4, provided with means for supplying liquid fuel to said fuel chamber, means for permitting fuel to overflow from said fuel chamber and enter said fuel cup, a liquid fuel trough arranged under said cup, and an automatic cut-off device for the liquid fuel supply adapted to be operated by fuel that drains from said fuel trough.

f 7. A fuel burner, comprising a substantially tubular shaped member adapted to be suspended from Vthe bottom of a combustion chamber so as to` form a flame chamber, a ledge at the lower end of said tubular member, a substantially ringshaped, casting surrounded by said ledge and sustained by same, said casting having an annular fuel chamber, a cover plate fitted loosely in a recess in the top side of said casting and provided with an annular row of upwardly-projecting, spaced baming devices, said cover plate constituting a restricted outlet for said fuel chamber, a fuel cup on said casting that surrounds said cover plate, a substantially horizontally-disposed baffle plate sustained by said baiiiing devices, and a sleeve-like member cornbined with the center tubular portion of said casting and provided at its upper end with an auxiliary row of baffling devices and with laterally-projecting vanes that overhang the restricted outlet leading from the fuel chambert 8. A fuel burner, comprising a substantially annular, closed fuel chamber adapted to be heated by the heat from the burner, a main air supply surrounded by said fuel chamber, ports leading from said fuel chamber, means whereby the natural draft of the combustion chamber of the 3110 apparatus with which the burner is used will cause air to flow cross-wise of said ports and exert a sufficient suction on same to cause fuel to be drawn from said ports and commingled with air in such ratio as to produce a combustible mixture, two concentrically-arranged, annular rows of bafliing devices arranged adjacent the ports leading from said fuel chamber, and a substantially horizontally-disposed baffle plate at the upper end of the main air inlet for directing the air laterally between said baffling devices.

JOHN A. DE VILBISS. 

